Method for cleaning piplines associated with bulk tanks

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for spray cleaning the soiled interior surfaces of a tank by alternately: (1) applying a burst of cleansing liquid through a sprayer which directs a heavy spray mist to saturate the interior tank surfaces; and (2) enabling the applied cleansing liquid to soak for a timed interval on the tank surfaces. Portions of the apparatus can be used for cleaning pipelines associated with the tank. A tank sprayer which includes an equalization chamber for equalizing the flow of liquid around the spray head and a restricted outlet at one end of the equalization chamber to form a heavy spray mist in cleaning tank interiors. A quick drain valve for rapidly draining large amounts of liquid from a conduit including a solenoid actuated seal for selectively sealing or opening a series of drain openings around the perimeter of the valve. A liquid level indicating apparatus for indicating the drop in level below a preset level of liquid in any one of a number of closed containers each having a narrow neck for filling the container, including a detector inserted through each container neck for detecting the level changes, and a single air pressure sensor responsive to the detected changes in any of the containers for indicating a low level condition.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,833,417 Gr parls 1 51 Sept. 3, 1974[54] METHOD FOR CLEANING PIPLINES 3,511,706 5/1970 Orr 134/22 R XASSOCIATED WITH BULK TANKS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [75]Inventor: net, 957,904 5/1964 Great Britain 134 22 R [73] Assignee: TheDiversey Corporation, Chicago,

Primary Examiner-Barry S. Richman Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Merriam,Shapiro & Klose [21] Appl. No.: 226,571

[57] ABSTRACT Related US. Application Data Apparatus for spray cleaningthe soiled interior sur [-621 311:1,1 123113111311921;12-

of a by w a of i abandoned cleansing liquid through a sprayer whichdirects a heavy spray mist to saturate the interior tank surfaces; 52US. Cl. 134/22 c, 134/18, 134/22 R, and enaPling the applied olemmgliquid for a timed interval 011 the Surfaces P91110115 of 134/169 C137/563 the apparatus can be used for cleanmg p1pel1nes asso- 51 1m. (:1B08b 9/06, C23g 3/04 i F the tank- A tank K Y which [58] Field of Search134/22 C 22 R 10, 1 8, equallzatlon chamber for equallzmg the flow oflIquId 134/26, 27, 28, 29, 23 58 R, 100, 101, around the spray head anda restr1cted outlet at one 169 C end of the equalization chamber to forma heavy spray mist in cleaning tank interiors. A quick drain valve for[56] References Cited rapidly draining large amounts of liquid from acon- UNITED STATES PATENTS du1t mcludmg a solenold actuated seal forselect1vely sealing or openmg a ser1es of dram openmgs around Mitchell CX the perimeter of the valve A level indicating 22231253 2532?3223537.1:3131::1313313313.?3325 appa'aws fotimiicrting in level a 2691987 10/1954 Snelson 134/22 R x Set l hqmd any a number 2'7l75769/1955 Hansen 134/22 C x containers each havmg a narrow neck for fillmgthe 12/1957 Barrett U 134/22 R container, including a detector Insertedthrough each 2,813,076 12/1957 134/22 R UX container neck for detectingthe level changes, and a 2,393,407 7 1959 Babson 134 x single airpressure sensor responsive to the detected 3,072,503 1/ 1963 Baum 134/22R UX changes in any of the containers for indicating a low 3,133,5585/1964 Fajans et al 137/563 level condition, 3,211,166 101965 White I37563 X 3,417,763 12i196s Fjermestad et al. 13 4/58 R 3 Clam, 14 DrawmgFlgures PAIENTEBsEP 3|974 3.8333117" SHEEHUF s PATENTEB 35? 31974 sum 2or s FIG. 5

v m F,

PATENTEDSYEP 31974 SHEET l 0! 5 M av, 60 Hz [:H LOW 352 350 VAC f 6\KZVZPUMP MOTOR 228 I PUMP x I MOTOR I 206 i: V 270 I 4/226 I 268 VAC 1 "LPUMP RELAY 255; 207\ 288 Q 254*.

' /vc 290 r 20?\ PIPELINE I 266 l I TIMER j I TANK MOTOR .220 TIMER I{HF MOTOR L 200 I' K 22a -4 280 PuMP MOTOR h RELAY /70 304 f DRAIN VALVEMa. 1 66 T 282 .234

" VALVE 6 86 240 V ACID VALVE 1 SAN|- twig. 2/2 296 260 I 264 NC 1%; v(208 2/6 2/4 I NEE 300 262 I 001.0 Z/O WATER-V. NC

l L T 298 F I6 I 294 o PMENIEUSEF 3|974 I 3, 33,417

SHEET 5 0F 5 FIG. I3 I 352 AIR I ow LEVEL 23. PRESSURE INDICATOR 358 mAIR MANIFOLD I {)5 368 I370 I 372 a I v 340 362 i 364 I 366 56 I FIG. I2

-3; II i I i\,/ 3/2 l 328 J I 324 374 wfla METHOD FOR CLEANING PIPLINESASSOCIATED WITH BULK TANKS This is a division of application Ser. No.59,828, filed June 22, 1970, now US. Pat. No. 3,728,157 issued Apr. 17,1973, which in turn is a division of application Ser. No. 763,823, filedSept. 30, 1968 and now abandoned.

This invention relates to the cleaning of tanks and associated equipmentand in particular to apparatus and a method for cleaning soiled tanksurfaces with a burst spray of a heavy mist of cleansing liquid followedby a soil digesting soak period.

The cleaning of soiled tank interiors has utilized various types ofsprayers with rotating or fixed spray heads directing a heavy stream orsheet of cleansing liquid in large amounts at the top, interior sides ofthe tank. The liquid cascades down the sides of the tank in a steadystream preferably for more than minutes and is withdrawn from the tankbottom and recirculated through the sprayer so that washing or cleaningis obtained by the action of the cascading liquid eroding soil from thesurface. Reference may be had to US. Pat. No. 3,139,100 issued June 30,1964, to the same inventor herein for an illustration of such priorsystems.

The present invention, in one aspect, is directed to a tank cleaningapparatus and method, wherein the soiled interior tank surfaces aresubjected to alternating timed periods of cleansing liquid spray burstsand intermediate soil digesting intervals, with the surface cleaningobtained by surface saturation and digestion of the soil by the cleaningliquid. During a burst interval of about 40 seconds a heavy spray mistconsisting mainly of droplets of cleansing liquid is applied in a layersufficient to completely cover and saturate the soiled surface. This isfollowed by a soaking interval during which time the cleansing liquidpenetrates the soiled surface and digests the soil. In addition to themore efficient soil digest cleaning provided by this invention,substantially less amounts of cleansing liquid are required to cleancomparable surface areas than with prior. systems. As an example, theprevious heavy sheet spray, cascading-type tank cleaning required about30 gallons per minute, and a total of about .45-50 gallons per cycle,whereas the present heavy spray mist, burst and soak cleaning requiresapproximately 10 gallons per minute and a total of about 25 gallons percycle.

In another aspect of the invention, novel apparatus automatically cyclesthe cleaning operation, mixes the various cleansing liquids in theproper amount, and controls the application of the liquid requiredduring the respective operational cleaning cycles. Furthermore, in theapplication of the invention to be illustrated and described in detailherein as applied to the automatic cleaning of bulk tanks used for thestorage of milk in milking systems, the same apparatus can be utilizedin cleaning the related pipeline equipment used in such systems andassociated with the bulk tanks.

The invention will be better understood from the following detaileddescription thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying-drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an-example of the application ofapparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention for cleaning of a bulk tank commonly used in milking systems,and

which can also be utilized for cleaning the illustrated associatedpipeline equipment used in such system;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view illustrating the main apparatuscabinet housing the containers with the chemicals used in the cleaningoperation, and the apparatus for automatically controlling the cleaningoperation including selective dispensing of the chemicals;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the cabinet shown in FIG. 2,illustrating a pump and the piping or conduit used for deliveringcleansing liquids to the bulk tank;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view partly in section illustrating the novelstationary sprayers according to one aspect of the invention in positionon the bulk tank and delivering a burst of heavy mist to the tankinterior;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the construction of a spray headproviding the heavy spray mist with effective omnidirectional coverageof the tank surfaces from the spray head as shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view illustrating the spray head of FIG. 5 andthe actual exits of the havey spray mist consisting mainly of dropletsfrom the spray head;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view illustrating an alternative embodiment ofa spray head constructed in accordance with the principles of thisinvention to provide an omnidirectional coverage pattern of a heavy mistof droplets from the spray head towards the tank surfaces;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the construction of thealternative spray head shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the chemical mixing section andthe quick drain section in a conduit mounted to the cabinet as shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a restrictor in the conduitmixing section of FIG. 9 for properly mixing the correct chemicalamounts;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the timing and controlapparatus controlling mixing of the cleansing liquids and operationalcycling of the cleansing apparatus;

FIG. 12 is a sectional elevational view taken along the section linesXII-XII of FIG. 9 illustrating the construction details of a novel quickdrain valve for selectively draining liquids in the drain section of theconduit in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is the schematic illustration of a novel liquid low-levelsensing apparatus used for sensing and indicating a low-level conditionof the chemical liquids in the apparatus of this invention; and

FIG. 14 is'a fragmented sectional view illustrating the construction ofone of the low-level sensing detectors of this invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is illustrated an overall plan view ofapparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention asapplied to the cleaning of tanks and the related pipeline equipment usedin milking systems. The present invention is directed to an altematingburst and soak cleaning technique, and for this purpose the illustratedembodiment in FIG. 1 includes a cabinet or frame 10 housing the timingand control apparatus controlling the flow of cleansing liquids througha conduit 1 1 terminating in input ports 12 and 13 of the tank 14. Thetank 14 is a refrigerated vessel commonly used in milking systems and istermed a bulk tank for the temporary storage of milk being directlypumped from cows. It must be understood that the application of thisinvention to the cleaning of a bulk tank, as will be more particularlydescribed herein, is merely for illustration, since the principles ofthe invention can as well be applied to the cleaning of any type oftank, such as, vacuum tanks. FIG. 1 also illustrates the pipeline l5 andassociated equipment which can also be cleaned by using the apparatus ofthis invention. In the usual arrangement of a milking system, thepipeline traverses the milking area and interconnects a number of inlets16 each of which connects to a suction assembly 17 strapped to each cowduring milking. A vacuum pump 18 draws the milk obtained from each cowthrough the pipeline 15 and'via conduit 19 which deposits the milkthrough bulk tank inputs 20 into the refrigerated bulk tank 14fortemporary storage.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings illustrates an embodiment ofthis invention as applied to cleaning of the bulk tank 14 and thepipeline equipment. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the frame or cabinet 10supports a wash tub 21 provided for containing a measured amount ofwater for selective mixing with liquid chemicals maintained inindividual containers 22, 23 and 24 which are supported on a base 25 ofthe frame. Mounted to the frame 10 is a pump 26 for pumping the watercontained in wash tub 21 through a tub drain 27. A flexible pipe 28 hasone end 30 suitably connected to the bottom of the tub drain 27 andanother end 32 mounted to a conduit 33 containing a liquid chemicalmixing section 34 and a drain section 35. A short sectionof flexibletubing 36 interconnects the mixing section 34 with the pump input 38.

A conduit 40 interconnects the pump output 42 with a Y divider 44--oneleg 46 of which is connected to the conduit 11, and the other leg 48 isconnected to a conduit 50 which empties back into the tub 21. Manuallyoperable valves 52 and 54 are schematically illustrated as shown inFIGS. 1 and 3 in line with the conduits 50 and 11, respectively, forselectively controlling the liquid flow through these conduits. Valves52 and 54 operate in an opposing manner so that when valve 52 is closed,valve 54 is open, such operation being obtained through the respectiverotation of a function indicating lever 53 whose rotating shaft 55controls valves 52 and 54 through means not shown in FIG. 3. As anexample, the valves 52 and 54 could be provided by a ball type valverotated by shaft 55 to open the passageway between conduit 40 andconduit 11 with the indicating lever 53 in the position shown in FIG. 2.Suitable bracket means 57 rotatingly mount the shaft 53 to the frame.

The liquid chemicals in containers 22, 23 and 24 are fed throughrespective flexible conduits 56, 58 and60 through respective liquidsolenoid valves 62, 64 and 66 (FIG. 3) and through respective valveoutput lines 68, 70 and 72 to the mixing section orifice inputs 74, 76and 78 (FIG. 8). To avoid confusion, the front view of frame was shownin FIG. 2 illustrates on the main components of the invention with thetubing being shown only "in fragmented sections. Similarly, in the rearview of FIG. 3, only the main components of the invention as seen fromthe rear of the frame have been included in the illustration. While thephysical electrical wiring and cables connecting the various componentsis not shown, a schematic illustration completely detailing theelectrical interconnections is shown in FIG. 11. Behind the back panel80, there is mounted the timing and control apparatus schematicallyshown in FIG. 10 for selectively operating the valves 62, 64, 66, thepump 26, and other apparatus to be hereinafter described.

Referring now to FIG. 4 there is illustrated a pair of sprayers 82 and84 constructed in accordance with a specific aspect of the invention.The sprayers are respectively connected to feed conduits 86 and 88, bothof which are in turn connected to conduit 1 1 and pump 26. Each of thesprayers is mounted with a suitable mounting assembly 90 to therespective inlet 12 or 13 in the hinged tank lid 94. The sprayers aredetachably inserted into the interior of the tank 14 and terminate in aspray head 96, with the mounting assembly 90 adjusted so as to suitablyposition the spray head 96 between the tank lid 94 and the tank bottom98 in accordance with the physical configuration of the tank beingcleaned. It is to be understood that for cleaning of various other typesof tanks using the principle of this invention, the position of thesprayer in the tank may vary from that shown in FIG. 4, and in fact insome instances only one sprayer may be needed for adequate cleaning. Anagitating paddle 100 rotated by a motor 10 suitably mounted to the topof the tank 14, and the refrigerating coils 102, do not constitute anypart of the present invention and are illustrated merely to indicate thestandard apparatus utilized on connection with such bulk tanks. Duringthe burst application of the cleansing liquids, it is preferred that theagitating paddle 100 be rotated so as to insure that all surfaces of thepaddle are suitably cleaned.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, 8, there is illustrated two embodimentsof a spray head, each of which provides the heavy spray mist consistingmainly of droplets of the cleansing liquid in accordance with theprinciples of this invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the cleansing liquiddischarged from the spray head completely fills the interior of the tankwith a heavy mist of cleansing liquid droplets which are directed andalso drift to the interior tank walls, such as side wall 103, so as tocompletely cover the entire tank surfaces with a layer sufficient tosaturate the soiled surfaces. As slight distances from spray head 96,the heavy spray mist of cleansing liquid eminating from outlets on thespray head appears to have eminated in an omnidirectional manner, thatis, inall directions towards the tank walls to obtain com plete coverageand saturation of the interior tank surfaces. In fact, by referring toFIG. 6, it can be seen that the cleansing liquid actually exits from thespray head at an upper outlet 104 and a lower outlet 106. The spray misteminating from the upper outlet 104 is slightly lighter, with somewhatsmaller droplets than the heavier spray mist eminating from the loweroutlet 106 which contains somewhat larger droplets as schematicallyshown in FIG. 6. The heavier spray mist from outlet 106 covers theinterior surfaces from approximately the top of the side walls downwardto the bottom of the tank, with the majorityof the spray mist issuingupwardly and outwardly from the outlet 106, and the weight of thedroplets and their turbulence enabling their drifting to and completecoverage of the tank surfaces. The lighter spray mist from upper outlet104 mainly covers the tank lids 94, other surfaces at the top of thetank, and the remainder of the top of the side walls. Leakage of thecleansing liquid at the top of the tank experienced in prior sprayingsystems has been significantly reduced with the spray mist applicationof this invention.

It is to be understood that each of the sprayers 82 and 84 and theassociated spray heads are constructed in a like manner, so that thedetailed description of one of the items applies as well to the other.Sprayer 84 is constructed of a metal tubular member 108, at one end ofwhich there is provided a series of apertures 110. Circumscribed aroundthe perimeter of the tubular member 108 and aligned with each of theapertures 110 is a recess 1 12 having at one end thereof a continuousseries of serrations 114. A sleeve member 116 surrounds the end of thetubular member 108 with a bottom edge 118 butting against the base 120of the sleeve 116. Screws 122 are provided for threadably engaging thesleeve 116 in the tubular member 108 so as to secure the two memberstogether. An internally threaded stem 124 projects from the center ofthe base 120 outwardly from the end of the sleeve 116.

The base 120 contains a series of apertures 126 extending uniformlyaround the stem 124. The apertures 126 are arranged in a uniform patternso as to enable the cleansing liquid being passed through tubular member108 to exit from the base 120 of the sleeve 116 in a substantiallyuniform manner around the stem 124. An end cap 128 is provided with aninternal cavity 130 having a diameter similar to that of an internalcavity 132 in the sleeve member 116 immediately below the base 120. Thetwo cavities 130 and 132 form an equalizing chamber to obtain equal flowof the liquid to be formed into a spray mist around the spray head 96.The end cap 128 is mounted by means of a threaded nut 134 passingthrough an aperture in the end cap base 135 and threadably engaging thesleeve stem 124.

One or more adjusting discs 136 are placed between the end of the stem124 and the inner base of the circular cavity 130 within end cap 128 soas to position the cap 128 with respect to the sleeve 116. Thisadjustment regulates the width of the circular opening 106 between thedownwardly projecting edge 138 and the upwardly projecting ledge 140 ofthe end cap 128. As an example, with a one inch outside diameter tubularmember 108, an outlet 106 opening of about 0.020 inch provides the heavyspray mist as herein defined at a pressure of about 30 psi. An angledmember 142 having a straight portion maintained by the threaded nut 134against the end cap 128, and an angled portion depending downwardlytherefrom is provided for deflecting a portion of the cleansing liquidexiting from an aperture 144 in the base 135 downwardly at an angletowards the rotating mixing blade 100.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, there is illustrated an alternativeembodiment of a spray head constructed in accordance with the principlesof this invention. As illustrated therein, the spray head 95incorporates an upper spray mist outlet 97 and a lower spray mist outlet99. The tubular member 108 includes a continuous series of serrations114 at one end thereof snugly engaged by an outer sleeve 101 which ismounted thereto by means of a spring biased clip 103 having one legwhich passes through suitable apertures in the sleeve 101 and thetubular member 108. Within the sleeve 101 there is mounted a web member105 having at one end thereof a spacer 107 and terminating in a threadedscrew member 109. The web member 105 incorporates a series of aperturescommunicating with the interior portion of sleeve member 101.

An annular end plate 111 has a raised rim 113 around its perimeter andis affixed to the web member by means of a washer and wing nutcombination 115. The raised rim 113 provides an equalizing chamber 117so as to obtain equal flow of the cleansing liquid passing throughtubular member 108 through the sleeve member 101 and web member 105 intothe chamber 117. It must be particularly noted that the inner diameterof chamber 117 is slightly larger than approximately 0.012 inch theouter diameter 119 at the end of the'sleeve member 101. Extending fromthe outer diameter 119 on the perimeter of sleeve member 101, and towardtubular member 108, there is located a multi-angled deflector 121 whichincludes an infinite number of angles facing the lower liquid outlet 99.Thus, as the liquid in sprayer head 95 exits through lower outlet 99between the inner diameter of raised rim 113 and the outer diameter 119in substantially a vertical position towards the multi-angled deflector121, the various incident angles on the deflector further causes thespray from outlet 99 to be broken up into a series of dropletseffectively eminating from outlet 99 in various angles, as shown mostclearly in FIG. 9. The multi-angled deflector 121 can be convenientlyprovided by helical knurling of the end of sleeve 101 with a knurlingtool as commonly used for knurling operations. This knurling effectivelyprovides an infinite number of incident angles or impingement angles ofthe liquid spray directed upwardly from the equalizing chamber 117. Inthe alternative a knurled ring can be provided as a separate unitsupported on sleeve 101, with the ring free to vibrate or rotate underimpingement of the liquid fromlower outlet 99.

The light spray mist eminating from upper outlet 97 is directedprimarily at the top surfaces of the tank and the combination of outlets97 and 99 of spray head 95 perform in the manner of upper outlet 104 andlower outlet 106 of spray head 96 so as to obtain substantiallyomnidirectional coverage of the tank surfaces, similar in illustrationto that shown in FIG. 4 in connection with spray head 96.

. The cleansing liquid for cleaning the bulk tank 14 is obtained byselectively mixing the suitable liquid chemicals from containers 22, 23,24 with a predetermined quantity of water contained in the tub 21. Inthe example set forth below, container 22 contains a sanitizing liquid,container 23 an acid, and container 24 a detergent, each of which isused during the correct operating cycle under control of the apparatusschematically shown in FIG. 11. A preset amount of water is initiallyfurnished to the wash tub 21 through a water outlet spout under controlof suitable hot and cold water solenoid valves. Mixing of the liquidchemicals with the water is obtained by pumping the water throughconduit 28 connected to the wash tub drain and through the mixingsection 34. The respective chemical control valves 62, 64, 66 areoperated to enable the desired liquid to enter the mixing section 34through the respective orifice input ports 74, 76, 78 to mix with thewater drawn by pump 26 through a restrictor disc 152 which includes anopening 154 of predetermined size to starve the pump and enable thecorrect amount of mixing of the chemicals with the water. The restrictordisc is about 1% inches in diameter with a one-half inch aperture. Therestrictor disc 152 is mounted'in the conduit 33 immediately downstreamof the mixing section 34 by any suitable means such as the two elongatedspring hooks 156 having a hooked end 158 engaging a recess 160 at oneend of the mixing section. The conduit 33' is formed of a metalcylindrical member with respective ends engaging the'flexible conduit 28and 36 and secured thereto by suitable clamps 164. A quick drainsolenoid valve 170 located in the drain section 35 of conduit 33 hasadrain end 172 which is normally closed, permitting the liquid in tub 21to pass into the mixing section 34. I

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is illustrated a schematic diagram ofthe interconnection between the electrical and mechanical components ofthe timing and control apparatus of this invention. Referring to theschematic diagram of FIG. 11 and the apparatus described previously inconnection with FIGS. l-10, a more complete understanding of theoperation of such apparatus as applied to the cleaning of the bulk tank14 can be obtained.

The apparatus shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 1 1 has beenindicated in block-diagram form since the components thereof arestandard items readily available to those skilled in the art. Cleaningof the tank is provided undercontrol of a well known type of timer unit200. The tank timer unit 200 is of the type which includes a series ofcam contacts selectively operated in timed sequence, and for purposes ofillustration, in FIG. 1 1 the timer cam contacts are indicated as twoopposing, spaced rectangles. Since the apparatus also includes apipeline timer unit 202, to avoid confusion, the contacts of pipelinetimer 202 are indicated as somewhat more bold or heavier in theillustration of FIG. 1 l.

BULK TANK CLEANING In cleaning the bulk tank 14 after all of the milkhas been emptied from the unit, the sprayers 82 and 84 are inserted inthe openings 12 and 13 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 with the spray head 95or 96 located between the top and bottom of the tank. In this examplethey indicated amounts of liquid were used to clean a 500 gallon bulktank having exterior dimensions of approximately 108 inches long, 52'inches wide, and 38 inches high. It is tobe understood thatall of thecontacts shown in FIG. ll are normally open unless otherwise indicatedin'the drawing or the following description. The timing controlapparatus of FIG. 11 operates from r a standard 115 volt, 60 Hz. powersource supplied between the lines L1 and L2. Initially indicating lever53 is rotated to the bulk tank position shown in FIG. 2 to close bulktank selector switch 206, which is mounted on the back of panel 80, andat the same time close diverter valve 52 and open diverter valve 54.This connects operating power to tank power line T and also, through thediverter valves, insures the proper pumping direction of cleansingliquids through conduit 11. The timing sequence for cleaning of the bulktank is then initiated by the operator pulling out bulk tank timer dial204 from the off to the on position, which closes tank switch 207.Operation of the tank timer dial also closes contacts208 and 210, whichrespectively operates the hot water solenoid 212 and the cold watersolenoid 214 by directly connectinglthe same between power line Llthrough closed contact 208 and 210, respectively, and through thenormally closed tank pressure switch 216. Contact 218 is also closedwhich operates the drain solenoid valve 170 so as to' close the drainport 172.

During a level fill of the tub 21, thetub is filled with a total of fivegallons hot and cold water through the hot water line H and cold waterline C (FIG. 3) connected to the tub faucet 150. When the preset levelof five gallons is reached, the normally closed contacts (N.C.) of tankpressure switch 216 open, shutting off the hot and cold water supply,and the normally open contacts (N.O.) close to start the tank timermotor 200. It is to be understood that the timer contacts are camactuated in a normal manner by the timer motor to provide the correctoperating sequence. Also, timer cam contacts 222 are provided to operatetimer motor 200 during desired operating intervals when the pressurelevel switch 216 has reverted to its normal position shown in FIG. 11due to the removal of liquid in tub 21.

The bulk tank 14 is now subjected to a timed cleaning sequence involvinga prerinse period, a soil soak and digest cleaning period, a rinsinginterval with clear water, and a final acid rinse interval. Thisoperational sequence is obtained in the following manner.

During the prerinse period the bulk tank 14 is subjected to 2 2% gallonbursts of the water contained in tub 21 with an intermediate 30 secondssoaking period. The contacts 222 are operated to actuate the pump motorrelay 224, which as shown by the dashed line 226, closes pump motorrelay contact 228 thereby actuating the pump motor 26. For a timedsequence of ten seconds, approximately 2% gallons of the initialcombined hot and cold water placed in tub 21 is drained through conduit28 and 36 by the pump 26 and sprayedinto the interior of the tankthrough conduit 11 and sprayers 82, 84.

As previously explained, the spray heads or 96 are formed and soconstructed in accordance with one aspect of this invention as toprovide the heavy spray mist of droplets covering the entire interiorsurfaces of the tank with a greatly reduced amount of cleansing liquidand in a comparably short time. The initial ten second prerinse cycle isfollowed by a 30 second soaking interval during which time the contacts222 are opened by the timer was to deactivate the pump motor 26. Thisinterval is followed by another 10 second prerinse interval during whichtime the contacts 222 are again closed to operate pump 26 for applyingthe remaining two and one-half gallons of water in tub 21 to the tank 14through the sprayers. The excess water which accumulates at the base 98of the tank is drained through tank drain 232 and the open valve 233.This completes the prerinse cycle and before operating the apparatus inthe cleaning cycle, the tub 21 must again be filled with a predeterminedamount of water which is to be mixed with the suitable chemicals incontainers 22, 23, 24.

During the filling of tub 21, the contacts 208 are operated to actuatehot water solenoid valve 212 (the normally closed contacts of pressurelevel switch 216 being closed) with the contacts218 remaining closed tocontinue to close the drain valve 170. Approximately 5 gallons of hotwater are passed through faucet into the tub 21. After the fillingperiod has been completed, timer motor 200 and pump 26 are againoperated as previously described. Also at this time timer contacts 234and 236 are closed to actuate the detergent solenoid valve 66 andsanitizing liquid solenoid valve 62. The detergent valve 66 controls thepassage of liquid detergent from container 24 through flexible conduits60 and 72 into the'mixing section 34. Similarly, the valve 62 controlsthe flow of sanitizing liquid in container 22 through conduit 56 and 68into the mixing section. For convenience of illustration in the rearview of FIG. 2 the containers 22, 23, 24 have been respectivelyidentified with the letters S, A, and D, and in FIG. 9 the respectiveinputs to the mixing section 34. have been similarly identified.

The detergent maintained in container 24 is an alkaline liquid solutionable to saponify the fat in the soiled interior tank surfaces and so asto quickly penetrate the soil. The detergent also contains wettingagents for conditioning the water. The sanitizing liquid in container 22is a standard type of sodium hypochlorite solution. The remainingchemical stored on the frame 10 in container 23 is a liquid acid forneutralizing the alkalinity of the interior tank surfaces followingapplication of the detergent. The How of acid is controlled by the acidvalve 64 operated through the bulk tank timer contacts 240.

With the tub filled with about gallons of hot water, the activecleansing cycle is initiated. The active cleansing cycle consists ofalternating intervals of application of a spray mist burst of thedetergent and sanitizing liquid followed by a soaking interval duringwhich time the detergent penetrates the surface and digests the soil.During an initial 20 second burst period, the contacts 234 and 236 areclosed to operate the deter gent valve 66 and the sanitize valve 62. Thepump 26 is also operated during this period, thus pumping water from thetub drain through the conduit 28 and mixing section 34, and by means ofthe restrictor 154 mixing a predetermined amount of hot water withdetergent and sanitizing liquid in mixing section 34. The restrictor 154is arranged such that the five gallons of water in tub 21 will bedrained in 20 seconds. During this time, the cleansing liquid consistingof the mixture of water, detergent supplied through orifice 78, andsanitizing liquid through orifice 74 are applied in a heavy mist throughspray head 96 to form a soaking layer which completely covers andsaturates the interior surfaces of the tank.

The orifices 74 and 78 are of a suff cient diameter to enable thedesired amount of detergent and sanitizing liquid to mix with the waterdrawn through venturi 154. In this example of the invention orifices'74, 76, 78 are each formed of a threaded Teflon rod having a centralaperture approximately 1/32 inch. It may be noted in FIG. 9 that a shortY-section is provided to enable that liquid acid to pass throughsanitize liquid orifice 74 and thereby remove any mineral which tends tobuild up around orifice 74 due tothe action of the sanitizing liquid.

This initial 20 second burst application of cleansing liquid to thesurfaces is followed by a ten second soakin g period during which timethe tub is again filled with hot water. The short soaking interval isfollowed by a second burst of cleansing liquid during which time 2%gallons of water are mixed with the correct amount of detergent andsanitizing liquid through orifices 78, 74 and sprayed in a heavy mist inthe tank. This is accomplished in a manner similar to that described inconnection with the previous burst interval.

Following this last application of cleansing liquid to the tank, a 60second soaking period follows. during which time the cleansing liquid isallowed to penetrate and digest the surface soil. A final application ofcleansing liquid is applied during a 10 second burst intervalin whichthe remaining 2% gallons left in the tub are mixed with detergent andsanitizing liquid and applied to the tank. It is to be understood thatduring these intervals the respective timer contacts indicated in FIG. 1are automatically operated as previously described in connection withthe same respective intervals.

To initiate the following clear water rinsing period the contact 210 isclosed to operate cold water valve 214 in order to fill the tub 21 withfive gallons of cold water. During the clear water rinse cycle, two andonehalf gallons of water are delivered through pump 26 in approximately10 seconds so as to cover the inside tank surfaces. A 30 second soakingperiod is followed by a second ten second burst of the remaining 2%gallons of clear water applied through pump 26 to the sprayers 82, 84.This completes the clear rinse cycle.

In preparation for the following acid rinse of the surfaces, the coldwater solenoid valve is again operated for ten seconds to fill the washtub with five gallons of cold water. Contacts 222 and 240 are operatedto enable pump 26 to mix a suitable amount of water through restrictor154 in the mixing section 34 with a quantity of acid furnished theretothrough orifice 76. The acid rinse cycle continues for 20 seconds untilthe five gallons of water in the tub have been applied with the addedacid to the tank. With the completion of the acid rinse, cleansing ofthe interior tank surfaces is accomplished.

When sanitizing of the bulk tank 14 is desired before the application ofmilk from pipeline 15, the bulk tank timer dial 204 is operated to thesanitize position. The cold water solenoid is operated to fill the tub21 with five gallons of cold Water, and sanitizing of the tank followsby timer actuation of contacts 222 and 236 to operate the pump andsanitizing valve respectively. The pump draws the five gallons of waterthrough the mixing section 34 and suitably mixes a prescribed amount ofsanitizing liquid through orifice 74 for application to the tank.

PIPELINE CLEANING As mentioned previously, the apparatus of thisinvention can also be utilized to automatically clean the pipeline 15and the associated equipment commonly used .with bulk tank 14 in themilking system to which the present invention has been applied as anexample. In this connection, briefly, the timing and control apparatusshown in FIG. 11 is used for selective mixing of the chemicals in thetub 21 for subsequent application to the pipeline 15 through the suctionassembly 17 under the action of vacuum pump 18. The apparatus of FIG. 11selectively fills the tub with the correct mixture of water andchemicals from containers 22, 23, 24 and also controls the operation ofthe vacuum pump 18 during the cleaning operation. Cleaning of the entirepipeline 15, including the suction assembly 17, must be performed aftereach milking operation. During cleaning, the suction cups from thesuction assembly 17 are placed in suitable baskets in tub 21.

To initiate the pipeline cleaning sequence, the operator rotates thefunction indicating lever 53 to close contact 252 to supply voltage tothe pipeline power line P, and pulls the pipeline timer dial 250 fromthe off to the on position. Rotation of the lever 53 to PIPE- LINEcloses valve 54 and opens valve 52, thus diverting liquid in conduit 40to conduit 50. This also opens the normally closed pipeline timer camcontact 254. It

is to be noted from FIG. 11 that contact 254 is in series.

mainly in the cleaning of the tank 14. Also, note that with the tanktimer dial in the off position, tank timer cam contacts 255 are in theirnormally closed position. Contacts 255 open to break the pipeline powerline P when the tank timer is in the on position. Contacts 256 are thenclosed which operates the solenoid drain valve 170. Operation of thedrain valve 170 is similar to the operation in the bulk tank cleaningsequence, in that actuation of the valve closes the drain end 172, withthe valve remaining closed during the cleaning sequence unless otherwiseindicated.

The initial pipeline timer dial operation also closes pipeline timercontacts 260 and 262 which operates the hot water valve 212 and the coldwater valve 214 through the normally closed contacts of pipelinepressure level switch 264 to initiate a prerinse cycle by filling thewash tub 14 with approximately gallons of warm water. At the end of thefilling interval, the normally open contacts of level switch 264 areclosed to start the pipeline timer motor 202 and initiate thetiming'sequence. Contacts 268 are closed by cam actuation to operatethe-vacuum pump 18 through the actuating of the vacuum pump relay 270 bycontacts 268 and the closing of associated relay contacts 272. Duringthe prerinse cycle, warm water in tub 21 is drawn through suctionassembly 17 by vacuum pump 18'so as to recirculate through the pipelineand conduit 19 back into the tub 21. The pipeline timer motor 202controls the prerinse recirculation of the warm water through thepipeline for a period of approximately 2 minutes. At the end of thistime, pipeline timer contacts 268 are opened to release the vacuum pump18 and contacts 256 are opened so asto release the drain valve 170, thusenabling the drain valve springs 274 to assist in opening the drain end172. This allows the large quantity of water in'tub 21 to be releasedwithin a very short time through drain section 35 and the drain outlet276 as shown most clearly in FIG. 12. The specific construction of thequick drain valve 170. to be more particularly described hereinafter isanother important aspect of this invention which enables rapid drainingof a large quantity of liquids in tub 21.

After prerinsing the pipeline and draining the water from the tub, theapparatus is automatically placed into the active cleaning operation bytimer actuation of contacts 260 to operate the hot water valve and fillthe tub 14 with a quantity of hot water. When the desired amount of hotwater in accordance with the length of the pipeline has been placed intothe tub 21, the contacts 260 are opened. During the tub fillingoperation, pipeline timer contacts 256 are closed to reclose the drainend 172. In the next interval the pipeline timer motor 202 is operatedso as to controlautomatic mixing of the detergent and sanitizing liquidswith the water contained in the tub. During this mixing cycle, timercontacts 280, 282 and 284 are closed to operate the pump motor relay224, detergent valve 66'and sanitize valve 62, respectively. The pump 26therefore operates to drain water through conduit 28 into the mix'-' ingsection 34, enabling the liquid detergent through orifice 78 and thesanitizing liquid through orifice 74 to mix with the water in the mixingsection. Pump 26 draws the mixed liquids throughconduits 40 and 50 intothe tub 21. Thus, during this mixing time thepump 26 continuouslyrecirculates the liquid mixture from tub 14 through mixing section 34,thus mixing the prescribed amount of detergent and sanitizing liquidwith water. A restrictor 285, constructed similar to the restrictor 152shown in FIG. 10, is mounted in the conduit line 50 leading back intothe tub 21. The restrictor 285 enables the pump 26 to pump against thesame head as when the pump operates into the sprayers 82, 84 during bulktank cleaning. This provides the mixing of the same proportionate amountof chemicals and liquids when operating the equipment for bulk tank orpipeline cleaning.

During the next interval which runs approximately 15 minutes, themixture of hot water and liquid detergent and sanitizing agent is drawnthrough the suction assembly 17, pipeline 15 and conduit 19 back intothe tub 21 by actuation of pipeline timer contact 268 to operate thevacuum pump 18. During this approximately 15 minute interval, the liquidmixture is continuously recirculated through the pipeline. At the end ofthe wash period the timer contact 256 is opened to release the drainvalve 170 and open the drain end 172, thereby rapidly dumping thecleansing liquid in tub 21 through the drain openings 276 onto the floorof the milking area and thereby into a suitable drain. The drainingoperation occurs for about 1% minutes. Thereafter, the contacts 256 areagain closed to close the drain, and the contacts 262 are closed to fillthe tub with cold water.'

Next follows an acid rinse cycle, and pump 26 is again operated torecirculate and mix the cold water with the liquid acid in container 23.Timer contacts 286 are closed so as to operate acid valve 64 and enablethe pump 26 to draw acid through conduits 58 and 70, through orifices 76and 74, and into the mixing section. Continuous recirculation and mixingof the liquids as previously described adds the required amount of acidto the water during the timed interval. In the next interval, thecontacts 268 are closed to operate the vacuum pump 18 so as to circulatethe acid-water mixture in the tub 21 through the pipeline. Thisacid-rinse cycle is timed for approximately 2 minutes duration. At thecompletion of the acid-rinse interval, the pipeline timer contactsare-all returned to their normal position, and in particular, timersafety contacts 254 return to their normally closed position. Beforeusing the pipeline 15 for the next milking session, the pipeline must besanitized. This is accomplished by timed sequences of the pipelinetimer. The tub 21 is first filled with cold water, and the cold water isthen recirculated by the pump 26 during which time the sanitize valve 62is operated to enable a prescribed amount of sanitizing liquid to mixwith the watenThe mixture of water and sanitizing liquid is thencirculated through the suction assemblies 17, pipeline 15 and conduit 19by operating the vacuum pumpas previously described. At the end of thistime the pipeline timer returns to the off position.

Referring to FIG. 11, it can be noted that lamps 288 and 290 have beenprovided in the apparatus for indicating the periods of time duringwhich the pipeline timer and the tank timer are operated, respectively.As is shown in FIG. 1, the lamps 288 and 290 are conveniently mounted tothe slanting front panel 292 of the apparatus cabinet 10. Also, as isshown in FIG. 11, the apparatus includes a hot water manual overrideswitch 294 which can be operated manually by the operator to permit hotwater to How through faucet into the tub 21 according to the needs ofthe operator. This manual feature is under control of the bulk tanktimer, including timer contact 296, which is closed when the bulk timeris returned to the off position. A similar manually operable cold wateroverride switch 298 is provided for enabling the operator to fill thetub with cold water when desired, if the bulk tank timer dial 204 is inthe off position, thus actuating normally closed timer contacts 300. Asis shown in the front view of FIG. 2 of the drawings, the manualswitches 294 and 298 are conveniently located on a front panel 302immediately below the slanted panel 292. Similarly, drain valve 170 canbe manually operated by the actuation of manual override switch 258, ifthe bulk tank timer is in the off position closing timer contacts 304.

As previously described, another aspect of this invention concerns theconstruction of the drain valve 170 which enables a large amount ofliquid contained in the tub 21 to be drained in a relatively shortperiod of time under control of a solenoid valve. As shown in FIG. 9,the solenoid drain valve 170 controls the flow of liquid through drainsection 35 by selectively opening the drain end 172. The drain end 172includes a hollow tubular section 312 affixed to the tubular conduit 33so that the interior of the tube 312 communicates with the drain section35. A slidable end cap 314 slidably engages the tubular extension 312and contains a series of drain openings 276 placed around the perimeterof the end cap 314 as seen most conveniently in FIGS. 9 and 12. A slightrecess or cavity 316 is provided between one end of the end cap and thebottom of the drain openings 276 with the cavity 316 provided betweenone end of the end cap and the bottom of the drain openings 276 with thecavity 316 being filled with a resilient seal member 318 for sealing ofthe bottom edge 320 of the perimeter around the tubular extension 312.

The end cap 314 includes two ears 322 and 324 extending outwardlytherefrom including apertures through which are passed mounting bolts326 and 328 for slidably actuating the end cap 314. One end of each ofthe bolts 326, 328 is threaded and is mounted to the ears 322 and 324 byrespective nuts 330 and 332. A

movable platform 336 is suitably mounted above the top of conduit 33 toa moving solenoid arm 338 of the drain valve 170 so that as the solenoidcoil in valve housing 340 is actuated, the solenoid arm and the movableplatform 336 affixed thereto are raised from the open drain positionshown in FIG. 12 to the closed position shown in FIG. 9. The movableplatform 336 includes a pair of apertures through which the threadedends of bolts 326 and 328 protrude. Suitable nuts 324 and 344 threadablyengage the bolts for maintaining the entire assembly in position,including the springs 274 which are mounted concentrically around thebolts 326 and 328.

In operation, when the drain valve 170 is actuated, the moving platform336 is moved upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 9, thussealing thedrain end 172 by means of the resilient seal 318 snugly engaging thebottom edge 320 around the perimeter of the tubular extension 312. Ascan be seen from FIG. 9, this efiectively seals off the drain openings276 and enables liquids in conduit 28 to pass through the drain section35 into the mixing section 34 and from there into the pump 26. When thesolenoid coil of drain valve 170 is not operated, the springs 274 returnto their normal position shown in FIG. 12, thus assisting in the gravityreturn of moving platform 336 downwarly and moving the seal3l8 from thebottom edge 320. Thus, during draining, liquid entering the drainsection 35 enters the hollow interior of tubular extension 312 and isdrained through the drain openings 276.

As can be seen from the illustrations of the drain valve, the singleresilient seal 318 controls the sealing of all of the drain openings 276around the perimeter of the end cap 314. Thus, according to this aspectof the invention, by using one solenoid drain valve 170, the liquid isdrained through a series of openings 276 all of which are controlled bythe operation of a single valve. This significantly lessens the draintime required and provides a much more economical drain valve than iscurrently available.

In still another aspect of this invention, novel apparatus has beenincluded for detecting a low level condition of the chemicals in any oneof the chemical containers 22,23 or 24 and indicating such condition tothe operator. This prevents actuation of a cleansing operation withinsufficient chemicals available. In the schematic diagram of FIG. 11, anormally open air pressure sensor 350 is serially connected with a lamp353 across the power lines L1 and L2 for indicating a low levelcondition of the particular liquid in any of the containers 22, 23 or24. The air level sensor 350 is suitably mounted behind the back paneland comprises a standard, commercially available unit having a diaphragmwhich is actuated by changes in the air pressure to operate associatedcontacts. If the level of liquid chemicals in all of the containers 22,23 and 24 is above a desired level, the contacts of the air pressuresensor 350 are normally open so that the indicating lamp 352 is notoperated. If the liquid level drops below the preset level in any one ofthe containers, the contacts 354 in the sensor 350 are closed so as tooperate the lamp 352 and thereby indicate that liquid is to be placed inone of the containers. The particular liquid chemical which is at thelow level can be ascertained by examining the containers.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 of the drawings, there is illustrated theapparatus utilized for detecting a drop in liquid level below thedesired level in any one of the containers. In FIG. 13 a single airconduit or pipe 356 interconnects the air pressure sensor 350 and anoutlet port 358 of an air manifold 360. The air manifold 360 couplesinput air conduits 362, 364 and 366, respectively, from the sanitizingliquid container 22, the acid liquid container 23, and the detergentliquid container 24. Air manifold 360 is constructed as a closed chamberhaving three inlets 368, 370 and 372 for receiving the respective airconduits 362, 364 and 366. As mentioned previously, the single outlet358 of air manifold 360 is coupled through the conduit 356 to the airsensor 350.

Referring to FIG. 14, there is illustrated the construction of a liquidlevel detector 367 as used for instance with the sanitizing liquidcontainer 22. It must be noted that the liquid level detector 367 fitswithin the container neck 368, and includes an outer housing 369 havinga tubular extension 370 which protrudes into the container 22 with thebottom 372 of the tubular extension 370 resting on the inside base ofthe container. The tubular extension 370 includes a hollow interiorportion 374 which communicates with the interior 376 of the air conduit362 at one end of the hollow detecr tor. The liquid conduit 56 passesthrough a centrally located passageway in the outer housing 368 andprotrudes axially within the tubular section 370 to an end 378 locatedslightly above the base of the container and slightly above the bottomedge 372 of the tubular portion 370. An arcuate cutout 380 is located atdiametrically opposed points on the outer perimeter of the tubularportion 370 with the top of the arcuate cutout 380 protruding slightlyabove the bottom edge 378 of the liquid conduit 56. A suitable ball-typeliquid check valve 382 is located in the conduit 56 for opening andclosing the conduit 56 under control of the pump 26. The check valve isrequired to prevent liquid in the sink from undesirably passing into therespective container before a full suction head is developed by pump 26.

In operation, as the liquid in container 22 is drawn by the pump 26, theliquid level within hollow portion 374 drops toward the bottom edge 372.This allows the air column within the hollow interior portion 374between the air conduit' 362 and the top surface of the liquid to dropwithin the hollow interior 374. When the air column in any one of thecontainers 22, 23 or 24 is dropped below a predetermined level, thechange in air pressure is sufficient to actuate the sensor 350 andthereby operate the low level indicating lamp 352. Thus, the apparatusillustrated in the drawings permits a single air pressure sensor 350 tosense the changes in pressure in any one of three separate containersand from any one of three separate detectors each mounted in the neck ofthe respective container so as topresent an indication of a low level inany one of the containers.

For proper operation of this pressure sensing, liquid level indicatingapparatus, it has been determined that the bottom edge of the liquidconduit 56, such as the bottom edge 378, must protrude below the topmostedge of any cutouts in the tubular section 370 or protrude below thetopmost edge of a tubular section 370 without cutouts. For instance,improper and erroneous indications are obtained when no cutouts or whensmall cutouts in the full length tubular section 370 are situated whollybelow the bottommost edge 378 of 'the liquid conduit 56. The erroneousindications are believed to be due to a sensing of pressure changeswithin the outer section 370 caused by suction of the liquid up throughthe liquid conduit 56. Thus, instead of the cutout 380 indicated in FIG.14 in which the topmost edge of the arcuate cutout protrudes above thebottom edge 378, an alternative would be to allow the liquid conduit 56to protrude beyond the bottomof the outer section 370. This would enablethe changing column in outer section 370 to reflect changes in liquidlevel rather than erroneously sensing the drawing of liquid throughliquid conduit 56. In accordance with this teaching, other embodimentsof this aspect of the invention can be provided, such as incorporating aring of apertures around the perimeter of the outer section 370 at thelocation of the bottommost edge 378 of the liquid conduit 56.

It is to be understood that instead of the lamp indicator 352, othertypes of indicators can also be utilized. For instance, movement of thediaphragm in the air pressure sensor 350 can actuate suitable contactsfor operating an audible alarm so as to alert the operator who may notbe in position to view the lamp.

It is also within the scope of this invention to provide alternatearrangements for mixing of the liquid chemicals used during the cleaningoperations. For instance, a separate pump or pumps can be added to pumpany or all ofthe liquids to the mixing section simultaneously with thedrawing of water from tub 21 through pipes 28 and 36 by pump 26. Asanother alternative, mixing can be accomplished in the same manner as inpipeline cleaning. That is, the tub 21 can be filled with the desiredamount of water and an admixture of water and chemicals obtained byrecirculation through pipes 28, 36, 40 50 and tub 21, whileadding theliquid chemicals in mixing section 34. A separate pump or pumps can alsobe added in this instance for pumping any or all of the liquids to themixing section.

Therefore, the foregoing detailed description has been given forclearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations shouldbe understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In the method of cleaning a pipeline associated with bulk tanks withan admixture of cleansing and sanitizing liquids mixed in a vessel anddrawn through said pipeline by a vacuum surge pump, wherein theimprovement comprises the steps of:

filling'said vessel with water;

providing a mixing section having inputs for receiving said cleansingand sanitizing liquids and said water from said vessel and an outputline connected to said vessel; providing timing control means and aplurality of electrically actuated valves responsive to said timingcontrol means for controlling the flow of said cleansing liquid and saidsanitizing liquid;

selectively actuating said electrically actuated valves to automaticallymeter predetermined amounts of said cleansing liquid and said sanitizingliquid into said mixing section while simultaneously supplying waterfrom said vessel into said mixing section to form anintermediatecleansing and sanitizing liquid admixture; feeding said intermediatecleansing and sanitizing liquid admixture to said vessel for mixturewith the water therein;

continuously recirculating the water and intermediate cleansing andsanitizing liquid admixture in said vessel through said mixing sectionand back into said vessel while simultaneously supplying said cleansingliquid and said sanitizing liquid to said mixing section until saidtiming control means closes said electrically actuated valves responsiveto a predetermined final admixture of cleansing and sanitizing liquidsbeing formed in said vessel; and

automatically enabling said vacuum surge pump to draw said finaladmixture from said vessel and recirculate said final admixture throughsaid pipeline and back into said vessel responsive to said timingcontrol means closing said valves.

2. The improvement as claimed in claim 1, including recirculating anacid through said pipeline following the application of said cleansingand sanitizing liquid admixture.

3. The improvement as claimed in claim 2, including recirculating asanitizing agent through said pipeline before reuse of said pipelinefollowing the application of said acid.

2 g? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATEOF CO-RRECTIQN 1 8mm: No.3,833,417 4 Dated September- 3 1914 Inventor-(s) Andrew Geo Gr iparis Itis certified that. error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 23, change "surf acef to -surfaces-;- Column 2, line 21,change "havey 'vto -hea,vy- Column 3, line 57, change "on" to -only--;Column 9, llne 4, change "S, A, and D" to -"S", "A"

and n- I I I Column 9, line '47, change "Y-section" to --"Y" section;Column 10, llne 4, change "FIG; 1" to 1- FIG. ll; Column 14, line 25,change; "353"" to --352- and Column,l6, line l0,change "40" to --40,.

Signed and sealed this 17th day of December 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY n. GIBSON JR. c. MARSHALLDANN Attestlng Officer I Comisaioner ofPatents

2. The improvement as claimed in claim 1, including recirculating anacid through said pipeline following the application of said cleansingand sanitizing liquid admixture.
 3. The improvement as claimed in claim2, including recirculating a sanitizing agent through said pipelinebefore reuse of said pipeline following the application of said acid.